In the early morning of May 10, 1775, less than a month after the Battle of Lexington and Concord, a militia of determined colonists surprised the small group of British troops garrisoned at Fort Ticonderoga, in New York. This first offensive win was a “major moral and material victory,” in the early days of the American Revolution. Yet it was not the first, nor the last time, this strategic point of land on Lake Champlain changed hands.
The fight to control access to important water routes along Lake Champlain began much earlier, as documented in 1609 when Samuel de Champlain participated in a conflict between the Algonquins and the Mohawks. Later in 1691, the French took notice when the British built a small fort there. However, it wasn’t until 1755 when the French began construction of Fort Carillon to stop the British invasion and protect Quebec, that the battle for ownership truly began. Between 1755 and 1781, Fort Carillon, later renamed Fort Ticonderoga, changed hands between French, British, American, back to the British, then returned to American control, and occasionally reoccupied by British raiding parties, before ultimately being abandoned in 1781.
Confused? Yes, me too. But here’s my limited interpretation of events that unfolded 250 years ago at Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolution.
Following the end of the French and Indian War, there wasn’t a lot going on at Fort Ticonderoga. Sure there were approximately 50 British troops stationed here, but the fort was starting to fall into disrepair. Although no doubt aware of what happened on April 19, 1775 in Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, the soldiers were not expecting visitors in the early hours of the morning on May 10, 1775. Thus making it rather easy for Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys to walk right in and take command, without any injuries or casualties on either side.
Ok, so things did get a little wild here. Allen’s soldiers plundered the premises for provisions, especially liquor, and celebrated their victory by getting drunk. I bet they sang a few songs too!
After that victory, things quieted down until in the winter when Colonel Henry Knox arrived, under orders by George Washington, to move the artillery left at Ticonderoga and bring it to Boston. Easy, right? Not really. His troops had to move 59 cannons weighing an approximate total of 60 tons, over frozen rivers and up the snowy Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, all the way to Dorchester Heights. This arduous trip covered 300 miles, and took 56 days. Can you just imagine what was going through Knox’s head, when he realized the task at hand?
Between 1776 and 1777, cognizant British troops were circling, the American troops stationed there were on alert. Just like I was alert to these turkey vultures flying overhead during my visit. But you know what the Americans troops didn’t do like I did? Look up!
During the Saratoga Campaign of 1777, the British Army, under the command of General John Burgoyne, recaptured Fort Ticonderoga. The Americans weren’t expecting them to aim their cannons at them from the top of nearby Mount Defiance. Realizing the British could easily overtake them, like my friend the photobombing bee pictured here, the Americans abandoned the fort without a fight on July 5, 1777. As with before, at least there were no casualties, other than perhaps the Americans’ pride that they totally ignored a report that Mount Defiance should be secured, so as not to leave them vulnerable to attack.
But…you know there’s always a “but” in these situations, the British may have regained control in July, but it was only until October 1777, when the British were defeated at Saratoga. After that Fort Ticonderoga didn’t play a major role for either side, until it was ultimately abandoned in 1781, and eventually became the property of New York in 1790.
My very brief summary does not do justice to the vast amount of activity that occurred here. However, thanks to the Pell family who purchased the land in 1820, they began preserving and later restoring the fort. Fort Ticonderoga was opened to the public in 1909, and eventually became the national historic landmark and living history museum, that we know today.
Dogs are allowed on-leash to explore the grounds of the fort. However, inside the buildings and the King’s Garden are off limits to dogs. On the June day I visited, Mom and Dad took turns visiting the exhibits inside, while I enjoyed the walking tour.
Please note that there are daily demonstrations on how to fire muskets and cannons. So dogs who are afraid of loud noises need to make a note of when and where these demonstrations are taking place. Me, on the other paw, quite enjoyed the reenactments, and learned some useful information! But that is a post for another day.
To plan your visit, please go to FortTiconderoga.org. Thankfully there are numerous books, websites, and documentaries dedicated to the role of Fort Ticonderoga in the French and Indian War and American Revolution. I’ll leave the deep dive history lesson to the professionals, but I hope you enjoyed my version of events. Join me tomorrow as I share my visit to Mount Defiance.
